Claiborne Davenport Rendezvous with History

One of the little things that I found among my Uncle’s belongings was a photocopy of my GGgrandfather John William Davenport’s obituary.  It was a newspaper clipping from the Uvalde Leader.  John died on the eleventh of November 1926 and the obituary, published a few days later, included a lengthy recounting of his parents -- one of the pioneer families of the county.  In the middle of the article was a line or two about John William’s GG grandfather Claibourne  Davenport.  Claiborne  was born in 1759 in Buckingham , Virginia. He was a Revolutionary War soldier and the article said that “Claiborne Davenport had been a soldier in the War and his life was once saved by George Washington, personally calling him from the path of a firing canon.”

I had known that Claiborne served as a Revolutionary soldier but I did not know much about his service. This little tidbit of information made me wonder about him and how this little piece of information survived the years.   I reasoned that this had to have been something that he had passed on through family lore to his children personally.  Such little facts are extremely hard to prove.  I began wondering if indeed Claiborne’s military service could have actually put him in the same proximity of the famous general. George Washington was the general of the entire Patriot army and many a soldier could have served without even seeing George Washington personally. It sparked my curiosity and so I began researching Claibornes’ service records.

note reads: Clayborne fought in the Revolutionary war 5 years, captured by the English absconded by night
ate nothing for 3 days, later lived on huckleberries till far out, finally reached home about close of the war.

A few days after discovering this little newspaper article , I discovered in my little treasure chest of family documents an old pedigree that was dated 1911 and evidently done by John William Davenport or grandmother Emma .  On the top margin of that document scribbled near Claiborne’s place on the family tree was a little tidbit about him.  It said that  "Claiborne fought in the Revolutionary war 5 years, captured by the English, absconded by night ate nothing for 3 days, later lived on huckleberries till far out, finally reached home about close of the war." I decided to investigate.  Now armed with these new details , I began looking for other people who had done previous research on Claiborne  Davenport.  An ancestor that far back in the family tree has generally already been researched by other family members.  I knew that the Davenport sir name was well researched all the way back into early English ancestry.  Some time ago in an Internet search I ran across a document prepared by a professional researcher name Dr. John Scott Davenport. His name appears on many publications concerning Davenport research and he was a contributor to a document published at this website: http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nvjack/davnport/ .  Dr. John had done extensive research into the Pamunkey branch of the Davenport sir name.  It is this branch that primarily settled in the Virginia colony and later branched out further east from there.  To quote him he described them in this way: “The descriptor “Pamunkey Davenports” (a term coined in January, 1998) is used to identify all those Davenports who trace back to Pamunkey Neck, Old King William County, Virginia, which in 1704 included present-day King William County, the south-western fourth of Caroline County, and the most southern portion of Spotsylvania County.” It was on this website exploring the Pamunkey line that I came across this link:  http://www.pamunkeydavenport.com/honor_roll.pdf  .   This link downloads in pdf format a list of all Pamunkey Davenports that served in some capacity in the American Revolution.  On that list was Claiborne Davenport  listed in alphabetical order.  It said Davenport, Claiborne [of Julius of Thomas of Davis], Private, Captain Charles Fleming’s Company, 7th Regiment of Foot, Virginia Continental Line. Served also in 5th and 1st Regiments. Escaped from British as a prisoner-of-war after Surrender of Charleston.

Here was some evidence of confirmation of the hand scribbled note on the old pedigree, that indeed Claiborne had been at the fall of Charleston, was a prisoner of war and that he had escaped. What of the other claim? Had he really been with Washington in battle and been saved by him from eminent death?  I continued my research looking for other genealogical researchers that had anything about Claiborne Davenport and I came across the genealogical research of a woman named Janet Green Ariciu .  She has a home page on Ancestry.com and among her family lines were the Davenports. Under her entry for Claiborne Davenport she had some interesting information.

Claiborne« DAVENPORT was born Bet. 1760 - 1780 in Cumberland Co., VA, and died Bef. 1840 in Wayne Co., KY. He married Mary Agnes LEE«/b» Nov 19, 1795 in Washington Co., VA. She was born Abt. 1771.

Notes for Claiborne DAVENPORT:

On 1 June 1818 in Washington County, Virginia: Claiborne Davenport applied for a pension as a soldier in the Virginia Continental Line. Pension application number is S35875. He states that he is 62 years of age , his wife is 47; children are Elizabeth 22, William 29, Patsey 19, Stenen 17, Rebecca 14, Polly 12, Claiborne 10, Lewis 7, Jinsey 3. He states that he moved to Wayne County, Kentucky to be near his children.

Claiborne Davenport was a member of the Seventh and First Virginia Regiments.

More About Claiborne DAVENPORT:

Burial: Washington Co., VA - Grant Robbins Cem

More About Claiborne DAVENPORT and Mary LEE:

Marriage: Nov 19, 1795, Washington Co., VA

Another woman that had done research on Claibourne was Peggy Leyva Conley.  Her pedigree , published on Geneology.com included the following entry: Claiborne Davenport served in the Revolutionary War as a private in Captain Charles Flemings Company, 7th Virginia Regiment Commanded by Colonel McClenachan, He re-enlisted in the 5th Virginia Regiment under the Command of Colonel William Davies, he participated in the Battles of Brandywine ,Germantown, Monmouth, Stony Point, and the siege of Charleston, where he was taken prisoner, but managed to escape and make it back to the American lines. He was discharged from service December 1, 1780 for this service he received a pension in 1818. In 1839 he moved to Wayne County, Kentucky to live with hi son, Lewis.

Peggy cited Dr. John Scott Davenport as the source of some of her research on the Davenport line. I was able to find Claibourne’s actual service records using a web site called fold3, which, for a fee, will allow you to get downloadable digital copies of all kinds of historical records. Those records confirmed the units that he was serving in. 

I felt I had enough information to begin researching the battle records of these units and begin to put together a picture of what Claiborne’s experience was during the Revolutionary War.  Remember my question?  Could Claiborne  have actually been quite close to Washington in battle so as to actually be saved by him in action?  My research into that question is quite preliminary but I think the answer to that question may have been answered while researching his commanding officers .  Mrs. Conley said that he was in Captain Charles Flemings Company, 7^th Virginia Regiment commanded by Colonel McClenachan. 

I have not found much on Colonel McClenachan.  I can confirm that he did exist and was indeed the commander of the 7^th Virginia from March 1777 to May 1778.  It was during the winter encampment at Valley Forge.  I found a personal letter written from Washington to McClenachan in the Washington, George, 1732-1799. The writings of George Washington from the original manuscript sources: Volume 11 Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia Library.  You can access this database at http://etext.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/WasFi11.html .  It is free to the public to download or browse .  It is quite interesting in itself.

I did find much more pertinent information to my question when I began researching his captain , a young 21 year old man named Charles Fleming.  The record of Claiborne said that he had been in the 1^st Virginia as well as the 7^th and the 5^th regiments.  I discovered that the 1^st Virginia had its roots as the original regiment of continental Virginia all the way back to the French and Indian war.  Its commander was a very young George Washington.   When the Revolution began the regiment was in existence as a small provincial defense force of the frontier.  Patrick Henry commanded it.  In  February 15, 1776 the new Continental Congress authorized the Continental Line and commissioned the regiment .They drilled in the square in front of the governor’s mansion , and encamped behind the College of William and Mary at Williamsburg. Patrick Henry was originally commissioned as its Colonel; however, Henry felt that this was in effect a demotion and resigned commission. The officers of the regiment threatened resignation in protest, but Henry calmed them and asked them to remain.

Beginning on August 16, 1776 The Regiment, along with the newly formed 2^nd Virginia Regiment, began the long march from Williamsburg to join Washington’s Grand Army in New York City.  Before leaving, the troops were asked to re-enlist for three years. or for the duration of the war. Although most of the 2^nd refused such a long commitment, most of the 1^st re-enlisted.

On September 15, 1776 the 1^st Virginia joined Washington’s army at Harlem Heights New York, thus beginning a series of campaigns that saw the 1^st Virginia in the thick of the action.  In December of that year Washington lead his troops to attack the Hessian troops quarted at Trenton, New Jersey.  It was here that Washington made his famous crossing of the frozen Delaware River.  Washington rode with the 1^st Virginia during this engagement and Claiborne’s unit was in the centerline of the advance on Trenton. There was; however, not much likelihood of an artillery incident  described by Claiborne during this battle. 

General Mercer is overrun and killed while holding the line till Washington's arrival with the 1st Virginia.

Claiborne would have definitely been in very close proximity to Washington during the battle of Princeton, which took place only one month later in January 1777.  Claiborne’s unit was front and center of a pivotal moment in this battle that nearly culminated in a total route and disaster for the struggling American army.  In the opening engagement of this battle the British troops, commanded by Lt. Colonel Charles Maywood, were pressing a thinly held line of Continental troops led by Brigadier General Charles Mercer.  Mercer was holding the top of a hill trying to slow the British advance until Washington could bring his main force up in line of battle.  Mercer’s men were overrun by seasoned British troops, Mercer was killed as his troops broke and began fleeing back  as Brigadier General John Cadwalader’s militia came forward to support Mercers line.Seeing the retreating troops, the militia, who were mostly untried and untrained troops, broke and ran before the advancing British.  Washington realizing that the whole line was in danger of a general route hastily rode forward through the fleeing troops and began rallying them to stop and reform the line. It was as this  moment that the 1^st Virginia marching up on the double quick led by a very young 21 year old  Captain named Charles Fleming and an even younger lieutenant named Bartholomew Yates came running to take position in front of the British line.  The young Captain with amazing presence of mind in such a dire situation immediately ordered his men to “dress the line”.  This had the effect of getting all of the disorganized and frightened troops to begin forming a long line of battle shoulder to shoulder.  Many of the fleeing troops from Mercer and Cadwalader's  militia began stopping and forming line with the 1^st Virginia.They formed up not 30 yards from the first line of the advancing British.  The British begin jeering and cursing the Continentals saying that they would be dressing them.  The British fired a deadly volley of musket fire into the American line, the line staggered from the volley but held.  At this point General Washington came riding between the lines in deadly peril from direct line of fire between the two armies. Hat in hand, the General ordered his men to halt! and then immediately ordered fire!  The General was engulfed in smoke and fire as the British fired nearly simultaneously.

One of the officers said that he put his hat over his eyes expecting to see Washington to topple from his horse fully riddled with shot, but to his amazement when the smoke cleared there was Washington astride his horse urging his men forward.  The British lines were pushed back as more of the Continental units began coming up to reinforce the attack.  General Maywood countered by ordering a bayonet attack.  During this attack the Red Coats surged forward, engulfing the Patriots in close hand-to-hand battle. It was at this point that the young Captain Charles Fleming was bayoneted and mortally wounded in the first clash of the lines.  His young lieutenant, Bartholomew, was bayoneted 13 times, shot in the side , and clubbed in the head by a rifle butt. He lived a week, but soon succumbed to his wounds . 

Indeed Claiborne Davenport was in the proximity of General Washington leading the battle.  I feel that the note saying that Washington personally saved his life could be quite plausible; however, artillery did not play a major role in the battle, and in fact, both Washington and Claiborne were far ahead of the artillery units that were supporting the charge from the rear.  I do not think this battle would have been the engagement where this incident would have taken place.

Perhaps the battle of Monmouth may be the place where the famous General may have saved the life of Claiborne Davenport.  Monmouth was the battle that sparked the legend of Molly Pitcher. Molly was the woman who brought water to the thirsty artillery crews and manned one canon after it’s crew fell. Monmouth is one of the few battles of the American Revolution where the Artillery played the key role in the American Victory.  Washington was present on top of the heights where the Continental army was using its artillery to hold the British at check. The Virginia regiments were also present along the line of artillery where they moved out and met the British as they marched up the heights in a series of attacks. I will be researching more about Claiborne Davenport and I will let you know more when my research is complete. One thing is certain. Claiborne was a patriot and an interesting branch of the Davenport family tree.